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I’am trying to re-discover Peshawar. The first day — I had totally forgotten about the price haggling done with vendors. It’s a ritual which one has to follow religeously. If not done, one can spend more than the amount required to do so.

Yesterday on the trip to the market, after getting done with Nola’s requirements, I espied a vendor with guavas. I stopped to purchase some. I brought the price down from Rs. 120 to Rs. 100/kg, although it would have been a good price at Rs. 80/kg. It didn’t happen.

Yesterday with the evening function of Mehndi at Nola’s in-law’s home, I forgot the guavas. At breakfast time, while I took them out from the bag to put them in a bowl, I noticed what the wily vendor had done. He managed to slip quite a few bruised ones into the bag.

Today is Nola’s sis-in-law wedding day. Obviously I have to be on time to attend it. Nola and family arrived here just two days back from US. The last I parted with my daughter was in Hartford in September. Our next meeting when it will be only God knows? Houston is a long way from Hartford.

I can do nothing about the guavas except to make a jam from it removing the bruised areas. I like the fruit as it is, but personally I like marmalades, and strawberries jams — only those which I made myself. I have to save the fruit from decomposing , which will happen during my one week’s absence from home. I have to choose jam making.

I will have to do it in the evening, when I get back home. Hope I won’t be too tired to do so, otherwise I will have to give up saving them.

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I love ice cream and other sweet concoctions. I can never say no to any of them. It is not heathy for me to have sugary food. Diabetes run in my family, and it’s better for me if I can stay away. I bought an ice cream maker last year so that I could have home made ice cream. It’s healthier making your own. At least you know what is going into your stomach.

I never used to like store bought strawberries ice cream. When I made my own — I loved it. Here is the recipe:

1 can condensed milk

1 can evaporated milk

1 cup whipped cream

1 cup strawberries (blended through a mixer).

Combine and pour the mixture into the maker. Switch on. Your ice cream is ready in 25 minutes.

You can add 1 cup more of whipped cream to the mixture so that it remains soft while remaining in the freezer. Personally I don’t want the added cup. It gives me the jitters thinking of all that cream in my stomach.

Two weeks ago I invited a few ladies to lunch. For dessert I made a walnut-sooji halwa and strawberries ice cream. You can guess rightly the left overs were consumed by whom?

Afterwards I was in a dire state of anxiety. Why? Because I had eaten a surplus of sugary food. I was convinced I got the diabetes by the many visits to the rest room. It was a scare truly.

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Last week, I visited our village. I brought back with me fresh strawberries from the fields. My brother and neighbors were delighted when I sent them the fruit. The thing was, it was fresh and larger than the market variety.

Equal amount of sliced strawberries and whipped cream makes a nice dessert when it is chilled properly. I simply love it. My favorite is strawberry jam. Way back I used to make a huge amount to last us a year long. I would sterilize the bottles and store the prepared jam. Now, I take an easy way. Suppose it is four cups strawberries, I add two cups sugar to it. Add to it the juice of two lemons plus half a cup of water. Put the pot on slow heat till the sugar melts. Increase the heat so that it is bubbling. Keep stirring (I suddenly remembered this part) till it reduces slightly, or the consistency you want. Add one table spoon butter to bring a sheen to it. Another second or two and take it off the cooker. Pour it into a clean jar and after it cools put it in the fridge.

Its mouth watering and a million times better than the store brought variety. The plus point, it’s free of preservatives.